Wheeling plate



RN v a 2 March 5, 1935. R, R. COLGATE WHEELING PLATE Filed June 26, 1934 NITED I STATES PATENT. OFFICE Patented Mar. 5, 1935 1,993,261 WHEELING ,PLATE Richard R. Colgate, Alliance, Ohio Application June 26, 1934, Serial No. 732,412

6 Claims.

The invention relates to Wheeling plates or loading skids adapted to bridge the gap between a loading or unloading platform and the'fioor of a freight oar so that articles of freight may be i wheeled, trucked or carried from the platform to i In order to withstand'the loads wheeled or carried over the same, these plates must necest sarily be of considerable thickness and are therefore quite heavy and difficult to manually place in position for use or to remove and place upon the platform when not in use and workmen are frequently injured in handling the ordinary plates. Furthermore, as these plates are of considerable thickness, they are frequently the cause of injury to persons stumbling over the edges thereof when walking along the platform on which the plates are placed when not in use.

The object of the present improvement is to provide a wheeling plate onloading skid which may be easily placed in position between a'loading platform and freight car or removed from operative position without danger of injury to the workmen handling the same.

Another object is to provide a plate of this character which is arranged to hang suspended in vertical position along the side of the platform when not in use, so as not to form an obstruction over which persons may stumble.

A further object is to provide such a plate with means for holding it rigidly in operative position without requiring the same to be spiked down when in use.

A still further object of the improvement is to provide a wheeling plate which is slidably mounted alongside of the platform so that it may be quickly and easily moved to the desired position to register with the door of a freight car.

A further object is to provide a wheeling plate which is adjustable laterally and to some extent vertically so that it may be easily positioned across the gap between the loading platform and a freight car either of the same height as the platform or a lower or higher car.

The above objects, together with others which will be apparent from the accompanying drawing and the following description, or which may be hereinafter pointed out, may be attained by constructing the improved wheeling plate in the V erally at 10.

manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which 7 a Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved wheeling plate showing it hanging along the side of a loading platform in the inoperative position; 'Fig. 2, a bottom plan view 'of the. improved loading plate; a. Fig 3, a section taken as on the line'33,' Fig.1;

Fig. 4, a transverse section through thewheeling plate showing portions of a loading'platform and freight car with the wheeling plate in operative position; V I a Fig. 5, a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the wheeling plate in positionbetween the-platform and a car higher than the platform; and I 1 Fig. 6, a similar view showing the plate in position between the platform and a car'lowerthan theplatform.

'Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing. v v 7 A portion of a loading or unloading platform formed of concrete or the'like is indicated gen- The improved wheeling plate is arranged to be adjustably mountedupon a substantially horizontal bar or rod 11 located along one side of the platform spaced slightly therefrom and below the top-of the platform, this bar or rod being mounted upon the side of the plat--, form adjacent to the track upon which railroad cars are moved alongside of the platform, as by the brackets 12 which maybe connected to the platform as by bolts 13. It should be understood, of course, that although a concrete platform is illustrated, this is merely for the purpose 'of showing the application of the invention tofa platform which maybe built f wood, metal; or other suitable material.

The improved wheeling plate to which the invention pertains may be a substantially rectangular plate of sufficient size and thickness to accomplish the purpose, as indicated generally at 14, and the opposite side edges thereof may be beveled as at 15 to permit a wheelbarrow or truck to ride easily over the same.

Channel guides 16 are fixed to the underside of the plate 14 near each end thereof at about the median line, as by spot welding or the like and the supporting bars 17 are slidably located therethrough, these bars being provided at their upper ends with loops or hooks 18 slidably mounted upon the rod or bar 11 and so arranged that the plate'may be moved longitudinally upon said bar between the eyes 19 at the upper ends of the brackets 12. In order to prevent accidental displacement of the bar 11, cotter pins 20 or the like may be provided in the ends thereof.

Angular stop flanges or hooks 21 may be formed upon the lower or free ends of the supporting bars 17 for engagement with the adjacent ends of the channel guides 16 to hold the plate 14 suspended in substantially upright position alongside of the loading platform, as indicated in Figs.

A handle-22 mayrbe fixed to eachrend of the plate MI-nearcthe free. edge thereof. so thatthe plate may be swung into position by the workmen inserting hooks in said handles. sharpened studs"; or spikes 23 are preferably formed upon theunderside of the plate and adapted to be imbedded" into the floor of a freight car to 'hold the platein adjusted position when it is mounted for use between the platform and a'ca'rs When it is desired to position the wheelingv plate between the platform and the fioor of a freight cama'sucmasushownrin fragmentat24' in. Fig. 4, the plate 14 is raised as by hooks orthe like in,- sertedtintothehandles'=22 to :such height that it may be swung :upward so as :to clear the 'side of thesfreight: carrand is. then slid. forward until a substantialnportion of the-free edge thereof is located over the floor 24 of the freight'car.

. The sharpened-studs 23 may :become imbedded imthefloonof the. freightcaras shown in Fig. 4 by; =the .eweig-ht of @the 1 first load :going over v the wheeling? plate: or: thesewstudsrmay be driven into the floor of the car by means of a hammeror the like positioning the wheeling plate 14 rigidlytin place-across thegap between the loading platform and freight car, as shown inFig. 4;-

In'the event the-rfloor- 24a of the: freight car: is higher than the top, ofxthe platform,- the'wheeling plate may be positioned as shownin Fig S, the free-' edge:-':0f:- .thev plate ..being''located near the outer edge of the car fioor asrillustratedw.

Onzlthehotherihand, ifhthe floor 24b of the freightzcar .is-Xlowenthan: the. top of the platform; as shownlin Fig-.6, the plate may beadjusted in theLo-ther..-direction.as :shown a in. said figure. It willzbeiseemthat there is .suflicientaplay. between thesupporting bars 17 and. the channel: guides 16;;to .permihthis .adjustment of the plate and supporting bars so that .the plate may. be positioned-between the loading platform and.freight car .regardlesssofhwhether the. car; floorsisthigher' or: lower than .the topro-f the. platform Whemthe plate istnot in use the free endthereof may :bepriedup. to disengage :the sharpened studs.23 from..the car. floor. and by inserting the hooks or..the-like.-into thehandles 22 the plate maybeslidoventhetop of theloading platform until'the free edge thereofwis cleanofthe-side of the freight car when the plate may be lowered to the normal position as shown in Fig. 3, the channel guides 16 engaging the stop flanges 21 on the supporting bars 17 and holding the plate supported in upright position alongside of the ramp where it is out of the way of persons walking upon the platform.

I claim:

1. A wheeling plate adapted to bridge a gap between' a loading platformazand az'freight car, including. a substantially horizontal rod .located along one side of the platform, supporting bars pivotally mounted upon said rod, and a plate mounted for adjustment longitudinally of said supporting bars.

2.-.A. wheelingplate adapted to bridge a gap between a loading platform and a freight car, includinga substantially horizontal rod located along onesside of the platform, supporting bars pivotally mounted for adjustment longitudinally of said .rod, andaplate mountedfor adjustment longitudinallyof said supporting-bars.

3. A wheeling plate adapted. to bridge agar) between a loadingplatform and a freight car, in. cluding a. substantially horizontal ..rod located along one side of the platform, supporting. bars pivotally mounted upon saidrod, and'a plate havingchannelzguides through which said supportingbars are slidably mounted.

4. A wheeling plate adapted tobridge a .gap between a-loading platform and a freight car, including a substantially horizontal rod located along one side of the. platformsupporting bars pivotally mounted for. adjustment longitudinally of 1 said rod, and. a plate having channel guides through; which said supportingibars are ,slide ably mounted. j

5. A wheeling. plate adapted tobridgeagap between aaloading platform and .a: freightacar,

including a substantially ,horizontal; rod located along one side of. the platform, supportingbars pivotally mounteduponsaidrod, a platehaving channel guides through which. said ,supporting bars .areslidably, mounted, and. angular stops upon the. ends of said supporting bars for. contactwith.;said channel guides. V

6.; A wheeling. plate adapted. to bridge a a .gap between :av-loading platform; andv a freight can including a-substantially, horizontal rod. located along one side of the.platform,.supportingbars pivotally mounted: forsadjustment longitudinally of said rod, aplate havirigchannelguidesthrough whichsaid supporting bars are slidably mounted; and angular stopsuponthe ends ofv saidsupporting bars for contact with said channel guides.

RICHARD R. COLGATE. 

